OSLO — Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the veteran South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of her lifelong dedication to international law and judicial independence.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, praised the 85-year-old as “one of the most courageous and important legal experts of our time.” The committee emphasized that honoring Pillay was intended to highlight the importance of global legal frameworks during an era when international courts face mounting political attacks, according to announcements reported by CBS News and NPR.
A career shaped by human rights
Born in Durban in 1941, Pillay made history as the first woman of color to establish a law practice in South Africa’s Natal province. In 1973, she successfully brought legal action against the apartheid government to win the right to legal representation for political detainees imprisoned on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela.
Following the fall of apartheid, Pillay became a South African high court judge in 1995 before serving on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. There, she helped author a historic ruling determining that sexual violence and rape could constitute acts of genocide. She later sat on the International Criminal Court and headed the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
Currently, Pillay serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, where she is deliberating a genocide lawsuit brought by Gambia against Myanmar over the treatment of Rohingya Muslims, CBS News reported.
Global reaction and pushback
Pillay received news of the award while attending a human rights legal conference at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany, after the committee initially struggled to reach her by phone. In remarks captured on video, she reacted with humor and modesty, joking to an applauding room that “I may share this prize with Trump” and questioning whether she truly had courage. “Why would you need courage to speak the truth? You interpret the law, you look at all the facts, so it’s impartial decision-making,” she said, according to NPR.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the announcement, stating that Pillay’s win celebrated her efforts to bolster peace, protect human dignity and inspire people worldwide, The Guardian reported.
However, the honor drew sharp criticism from Israel. Last year, Pillay chaired a U.N. commission of inquiry that determined Israel had carried out genocidal acts in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Foreign Ministry blasted the Nobel committee on social media, describing the choice as a “grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred,” according to The Guardian.
Defending international legal institutions
The Nobel committee noted that preserving international courts has become increasingly urgent. Both the U.S. and Israel have voiced hostility toward international legal panels. Washington recently levied sanctions on senior officials at the International Criminal Court following arrest warrants issued for Israeli leaders, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to work toward dismantling the court, NPR reported.
The peace prize, which marks its 125th anniversary this year, includes an award of 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million. The committee considered 287 nominations for the 2026 honor, New York Post reported.
It remains to be seen when the committee will make formal contact with Pillay ahead of the annual presentation ceremony scheduled for December in Oslo.
